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On Day 1, all eyes on grapplers, shooters

India’s Manu Bhaker and Abhishek Verma attend a practice session for the mixed team 10m air pistol event in Palembang on Saturday. AFP

Vinayak Padmadeo

Jakarta, August 18

The Games have begun and Indians are in for a big challenge, much harder than what they faced at the Commonwealth Games earlier this year. Sushil Kumar and Bajrang Punia will be the big medal hopes on Day 1, hoping to get India’s campaign off to a winning start.

Sushil, who is returning to the Asian Games after a gap of 12 years, will have it relatively easy in the first round as the two-time Olympics medallist will face Bahrain’s Adam Batirov. But as he moves ahead, Sushil’s competition will get tougher. He could run into either Mongolia’s Mandakhnaran Ganzorig or Japan’s 2020 Olympics medal hope Yuhi Fujinami at the quarterfinal stage. If all goes well for Sushil, he will lock horns with Iran’s Mostafa Hoseeinkhani, who won a bronze medal at the 2016 World Championships, in the semifinals.

While Sushil has a tricky draw in the 74kg weight division, Bajrang, who wants to emulate his mentor Yogeshwar Dutt and win gold in the 65kg, has a relatively easier draw. Bajrang has got a first-round bye and will be the favourite to make the cut for the final, where he could face Iran’s Mehran Nasiri. Bajrang beat Nasiri comfortably 9-3 at the Tbilisi Grand Prix last month. Pawan Kumar (87kg) and Mausam Khatri (97kg) are the other freestyle wrestlers who will hope to be on the podium on Sunday.

“We are satisfied with the draw,” said chief coach Jagmender Singh. “But you have to go to the mat and win before hoping for any medal. An easier draw doesn’t ensure a medal.”

Starting with mixed teams

While the wrestlers will take the mat in Jakarta, the shooting competition will begin in Palembang, with two gold medals on the line on Sunday. On the first day, two Indian teams will be hoping to start a medal rush for India. Apurvi Chandela and Ravi Kumar will be participating in the 10m air rifle mixed team event, which is the first final of the day. The duo of Teen sensation Manu Bhaker and Abhishek Verma will be another medal hope — in the 10 metre air pistol mixed team competition.

Also, Sunday will be the first day of qualification in both the men’s and women’s trap competitions. Manavjit Sandhu, the 2006 world champion, Lakshay, Seema Tomar and Shreyasi Singh will be on show.

Hockey girls

Sunday will also be the first time when the women’s hockey team returns to a major competition after its disappointing loss to Ireland at the World Cup. Chief coach Sjoerd Marijne and his staff would be hoping that the team would have recovered in this short period.

While the Indian team made history by entering the quarterfinals for the first time in 40 years, it failed to cross the hurdle, losing 1-3 in the shootouts to the Irish. With little time left for the Asian Games, the team management called in the help of a psychologist to help the players recover mentally.

“It was important that we forgot everything that happened in London,” Marijne said. “We talked about what we did well and where we needed to improve. We defended very well. We were one of the best defending teams of the tournament, conceding only three goals. But you want to score more goals and that is the area we need to improve. This is same for penalty corners too. The chances we get, we have to make them count in this tournament.”

Marijne dwelled on the fact that the team wasn’t realistic during the World Cup.

“This team has the belief. That’s good. But you have to be realistic and work through match by match and we have learned that from the World Cup. The first thought is about playing Indonesia well and then Kazakhstan. We are not thinking about the semis or the final. We will watch our progress match by match and then we will see where we end. Do we want to win the gold? Yes, of course. But it is far away.”

Indians in action

Wrestling

Men’s freestyle 57kg

Sandeep Tomar

Men’s freestyle 65kg

Bajrang Punia

Men’s freestyle 74kg

Sushil Kumar

Men’s freestyle 86kg

Pawan Kumar

Men’s freestyle 97kg

Mausam Khatri